Criterion is a nonprofit think tank dedicated to expanding possibilities for how finance can be used for social change.
We work with changemakers, investors, governments, and institutions to shift who has power in financial decision-making.
Our Work
We work with changemakers, investors, governments, and institutions to shift who has power in financial decision-making.
Our WorkOn June 24 2024, Joy Anderson, Founder and President of Criterion Institute, was recognized with the prestigious Joan Bavaria Award alongside Suzanne Biegel and Jackie VanderBrug for their groundbreaking contributions to gender lens investing.
As GBV can proliferate in complex emergencies, it can also exacerbate the risk of humanitarian conflict or crisis, disrupting states’ stability and economies writ large. This then threatens the stability of financial markets and financial forecasting.
Over the past three years, with support from the government of Canada, Criterion has been able to formalize a system of standards of practice.
Investors’ goals are reflected in a portfolio that is composed of a diversified set of asset classes. In order to build their portfolio, asset holders invest in financial products.
Finance has its own business model. A set of processes define how finance works and those processes have costs. Those processes are paid for by a set of revenue sources based on the functional role(s) played.
Intermediaries are institutions with a particular legal form that use instruments or vehicles to move capital. The instrument is defined by the terms written out in documents.
Systems of finance assign value. They analyze worth. Finance looks at opportunities and the risks in those opportunities over time. The result of that analysis determines what return is seen as possible.
Systems of finance assign value. They analyze worth. Finance looks at opportunities and the risks in those opportunities over time. The result of that analysis determines what return is seen as possible.
Convergence XXI aims to create an inclusive space for field builders to come together, share their experiences, and collectively reimagine gender lens investing.
A virtual event in which we celebrate partnerships in the work we do to expand possibilities for how finance can be used for social change.
“What if we had a “gender search fund”? What if we pooled capital for women of all identities who have been systematically stalled in their professional path but have amazing skills? The search fund c
As an activist think tank, our day-to-day work takes many forms. Whether via interdisciplinary research, trainings for investors and social change organizations on how to engage finance for change, or the design of strategies and tools that enable actors to incorporate power analysis into existing processes, all our work ultimately furthers one or more of our pillars.
About UsOur work spans research, design, and field-building. Below is a sampling of some of our recent work.
Explore our extensive library of resources on using finance as a tool for transformative social change. Browse by category and sub-categories to find the most relevant materials for your needs. Our library contains reports, case studies, toolkits, and other content aimed at investors, governments, civil society organizations, and anyone interested in harnessing capital for positive impact. Dive in and discover insights and guidance to help drive progress on critical issues.
Investors’ goals are reflected in a portfolio that is composed of a diversified set of asset classes. In order to build their portfolio, asset holders invest in financial products.
Finance has its own business model. A set of processes define how finance works and those processes have costs. Those processes are paid for by a set of revenue sources based on the functional role(s) played.
Intermediaries are institutions with a particular legal form that use instruments or vehicles to move capital. The instrument is defined by the terms written out in documents.
A power analysis serves as a critical tool to uncover imbalances in decision-making authority, resource distribution, and the prioritization of outcomes.
(Stanford Social Innovation Review; April 2021)
(UNICEF Connect; April 2020)
(Women Rule Newsletter (Politico); March 2020)
(Wired; March 2020)
(Next Billion (blog); July 2018)
(Impact Alpha; September 2017)
Pacific RISE partnered with femLINK to produce this video capturing the Criterion Institute TOOLKIT and the experience of the participants.
(Wharton University of Pennsylvania; July 2017)
Sian Rolls and Hannah Hicks speak to Joy Anderson, President of the Criterion Institute, and Kate Nethercott Wilson, gender specialist with Pacific Readiness for Investment in Social Enterprise (Pacific RISE), about a gender lens investment training we ran in Suva. Participants to the event are gender specialists from Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu working in civil society, regional organisations and national governments. (June 2017)
(Huffington Post; February 2016)
(Huffington Post; November 2015)
(Bloomberg TV; April 2015)
(Harvard Business Review (blog); February 2015)
At the 2012 CGI America Meeting, Joy Anderson announces a new CGI America Commitment to Action by Criterion Ventures.
The Blueprints demonstrate how a variety of social change organizations can design strategies that use systems of finance as tools to create positive social change.
These roadmaps lay out insights for how finance can be used to address gender-based violence in a range of sectors, asset classes, geographies, and investor types.
The TOOLKIT is designed to support your journey as you explore how finance can be used as a tool to create social change.
1K Churches was launched in 2012 to galvanize a movement in the faith-based community and engage US churches to invest in the local economy.
These gender-based violence due diligence tools analyze existing due diligence categories – including political, regulatory, operational, and reputational risks – and show how they can be affected by gender-based violence.
Gender-based violence is ubiquitous. More than 1 in 3 women worldwide experiences physical or sexual violence, and millions of men, boys, and gender-diverse individuals are affected by physical, sexual, and emotional abuse daily.
Our work depends on an ever-expanding community of team members, advisors, donors, and other partners who help us demonstrate our theory of change and ultimately achieve our mission. Learn more about how you can become more engaged in our work.
Invitations to Engage